Three little words
by The Green Feeling Anon Contest
Summary: Three little words. They have the power to change everything; the power to bring people together, or the power to tear them apart. This is a story of the latter.


**The Green Feeling Anon Contest**

**Story Title: Three little words**

**Summary: Three little words. They have the power to change everything; the power to bring people together, or the power to tear them apart. This is a story of the latter.**

**Word Count: 2565**

**Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me, nor any of the characters created by Stephanie Meyer.**

Three little words.

Three words could be inspiring, loving, heartfelt. _I love you. I need you. I want you. _

These three words ripped my world apart.

"_There's someone else."_

I tried like hell to change her mind. I begged her to stay. To stay with me. To give us another chance. I promised to change. I would go to therapy, if that were what she wanted. For her, I would reinvent myself; become someone else, if that was what she wanted. But there was only one thing I could not change, and that was what she didn't want.

She didn't want me.

So now, I was here, watching her with the person she did want. Watching, always watching, without ever doing anything. I didn't get it, personally. He was skinny with hair that stood up everywhere. Nothing about him screamed that he was special. Nothing that said he was worthy of her. He was nothing.

It was easy to fall into a habit of watching them. They made it easy, always meeting at the same time and in the same place. It was as if she was secretly begging me to know where she was. To not let her go.

_Don't worry, baby. I'll never let go._

If there was any doubt that they didn't want to be watched, it was dispelled by the fact that they always ate outside at the little café they frequented. Why else would she choose to sit where I could so easily observe her from a neighboring bar? There were even sparsely placed trees between us, just enough so that I could watch her without being easily seen. After all, the dance we were engaged in would be ruined if it were out in the open.

_Yes, my love, I'll play your little game. I'll play for as long as it takes._

I knew she knew I was there, though. She had to know I was watching. Why else would she allow him to touch her, to push her hair behind her ear, to whisper into her ear? She did it to make me jealous. There was no other explanation. She enjoyed her games, and she knew what it was doing to me. The only way to continue was to let her think that I wasn't affected. That I couldn't be affected.

But it did affect me, and each day was only bearable by reminding myself of the truth.

_She'll come back. She loves me.. She'll come back. Just be patient._

After the café, he would always take her to his condo a block away. They would hold hands as they walked. Sometimes, she would look around, as if she could feel my watchful eyes of love, as if seeking assurance that I still cared enough to stay with her.

_Don't worry, sugar. I'm not going anywhere._

Reaching the condo, they would go up to his flat on the second floor. Here was yet more proof that she wanted me to watch. The window to the bedroom was always open, and there was a convenient tree placed just outside. Why would she go there if she didn't want me to watch and listen?

At first, it was hard to hear the way he could make her moan. He caused her to make noises I'd never heard from her lips before. I managed by sitting in the tree and imagining that it was _me_ who was making her gasp and groan. That _I_ was the one she was begging to not stop. That it was _my_ name she was calling out in ecstasy.

It was only when the cries of passion ceased that I would leave my tree. If I waited long enough, their exertions would lull them into a deep sleep. This was typically the part where I would climb down and go back to our home.

This time was different.

Instead of immediately slipping into blissful slumber, I could hear them talking. Her soft voice reached out to me through the leaves, calling me closer to catch them more clearly. Then I heard my name.

_Mike._

I leaned forward precariously, desperate to hear what else she was saying. I could only make out disjointed words.

Ex-boyfriend…watching…afraid…love

Was she telling him how scared she was by her depth of love for me?

Oh, Bella! I love you too!

I couldn't catch what he said, and I didn't truly care. He didn't sound pleased; though how he couldn't when her hair was fanned out on his pillow, I had no idea. He sounded concerned, protective, edgy.

You can feel as concerned as you like, but nothing you do can keep us apart. She loves me!

I knew that as soon as she got him out of her system, she'd come back to me. She'd come back. I knew she'd come back. She had to.

*****

It was a surprise to find two police officers outside our house that day. They handed me some papers with what looked like a lot of legal jargon. They then proceeded to explain that it was to inform me of how close I could get to my love without someone stepping in to take forceful measures.

I tried to keep a straight face throughout their explanation. After all, Bella's father was a police chief, and I didn't want the reputation as someone who would laugh at the city's finest. But damn, if she wasn't making our game all the more titillating. So she wanted to add a little twist to our dance? Very well, I'd comply.

After they left, I thought about the message that she was clearly trying to send me. Perhaps she thought I was making it too easy. Maybe she wanted a little mystery, to not be so certain that I was always right there. If that was what she wanted, I'd do it. I'd do anything for her.

*****

I took her advice. Instead of following her every day, I limited myself to only a few times a week. I watched from greater distances. The only time I couldn't keep my distance was when he took her upstairs and made her moan. I was addicted to the sound, and no piece of paper was going to keep me away from my fix.

It seemed to work. She stopped looking around as much as she had previously. She smiled more. She seemed more relaxed. That was all the encouragement I needed. It was obvious that she was enjoying this phase of our dance. I knew that she stopped her furtive glances because she wanted to keep my presence a surprise. This was clearly the reason for her newfound contentment. She was so tuned into me that she could feel my love and my presence without needing to be reassured by my appearance. The advancement in our bond excited me to no end, and made it extremely difficult to continue what I knew needed to be done.

_Soon, my love. Come back to me soon. End the torture for both of us._

*****

I could stand it no longer. For too long, I had waited for her to come back of her own accord. For too long, she has cried out _his_ name to torture me. Too long had I been missing the feel of her skin, her breath in my ear, her fingers stroking my hair. I had been waiting for her, but I must have misunderstood because she was waiting for me.

I planned it out perfectly. I couldn't approach her in public. She had already told me she wanted it to be private when she had sent the officers over with her little note about distance. No, it was just between the two of us, just the way it should be.

When she came home from work that day, I was waiting. For weeks I had waited for the perfect timing, and today she had told me she was ready when she had left her kitchen window open before leaving. She never left that window open. It was clearly a sign. Even _he_ was taken care of, having been asked to work late for some reason or another. Our time had arrived.

To her credit, she had proved to play her part to perfection. Wide-eyed, she stared at me as though I were a stranger, as if she was seeing me for the first time. It excited me to no end. Slowly, I stood and approached her, savoring our reunion, hoping to stretch it out as long as possible.

"Hello, Bella."

"Mike? What are you doing here?"

"Bella, Bella, Bella. You don't need to keep playing games with me. We both know why I'm here."

"Mike, you're scaring me."

"Why are you scared? You know I'd never hurt you. I love you."

"Mike, please leave."

"Why are you doing this? We both know you don't really want me to leave."

"Please, Mike. Leave me alone."

"Bella, I told you, the time for playing games is over. Now cut it out and come back home."

"I am home."

"No, you're in _his_ home. I think I've been more than understanding in letting you have your fun, but now it's over. Get your things and let's go."

"No, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Bella, this is becoming tiresome. I know you like your games, but I think we're done now. It's time to come back, now."

"Why do you keep saying that? It's not a game. It's over. We're over. I'm not going anywhere with you, so please leave now before I call the police!"

Something in me snapped at that point. Why was she being so persistent in her little game? Then I realized what she was doing. The little devil, she wanted me to play rough. She never did want to make things easy for me, preferring I work for everything I got. So be it.

I knew she wouldn't want to leave without a few mementoes, and neither would she want to return here to retrieve them, so I grabbed a bag and started gathering them up for her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you pack." After I'd scooped everything from her nightstand, I proceeded to the closet to grab the rest of her belongings.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart." The little minx was going to keep playing her part to perfection until the very end. God, I loved her.

As I was tossing in the last of her clothes and moving on to her shoes, I heard her sweet voice on the phone in the other room. She was actually calling the police!

That was the final straw. Playing a little role-playing game was one thing, but involving the authorities was simply taking it too far! Ripping the phone out of her hand, I ended the call. Twinges of remorse pricked me as I saw the way she clutched her hand to her chest. I had been too rough. Reaching for her, I tried to soothe away the pain, but she kept backing away from me.

I called for her to stop acting so unreasonably, but she refused. With every step I took towards her, she stepped back two. Realizing what she wanted then, I began to herd her into the bedroom. Finally, she backed up to the bed, having nowhere else to go. I knew then that I had her exactly where she wanted to be.

Still approaching carefully, I watched as her beautiful brown eyes became impossibly larger in anticipation. When I was finally within arms length, I reached for her.

She had the same idea, because the next thing I knew, her arms were reaching around behind me. Preparing myself for my long awaited kiss, it was a shock when I instead felt something heavy crash into the back of my head.

Then all was blank.

*****

What happened next was a blur of disjointed images. I didn't watch them all, only a few stood out. There was a flash of me waking up behind bars, and another with my mother coming to bail me out. She was crying, though I couldn't imagine why. I thought she would realize that it was all just a game.

Another image was of a man trying to get me to talk to him, to open up about my relationship with Bella. The idiot. As if I was going to talk about someone as precious as her to a stranger with foul breath and a fouler disposition.

No. It's just between the two of us. That's the way she wants it to stay. Just the two of us. No one else.

A later image showed the same man saying something about mental competency. I didn't catch much. I wasn't paying attention. I only remembered that image because I caught a glimpse of Bella crying while he was speaking. _He_ was with her, but she was there for me. She was there to witness our newest dance step.

Don't worry, I'll get out of this and come back to you soon. I promise.

The last image was of this dreadful place where they had stuck me. They made me wear stark white clothes, as if they wanted to delude me into thinking that I had somehow reached heaven. But I was onto their tricks. This couldn't be heaven for the simple reason that _she_ was not here.

Even worse than the clothes were the pills that they forced me to swallow. They made the world fuzzy, and kept me from remembering her face. After the pills, they would make me sit with a doctor. They wanted me to talk. They wanted me to talk about her. But they couldn't fool me. This was all just another step in her elaborate plan to be with me. She must be testing me, to see if I'd talk. I'd prove that I was worthy of her confidence. I'd keep my mouth shut. I knew that if I just waited long enough, she'd come back. She had to.

I only caught one glimpse of her as she waited out my time. It was from a distance and _he_ was with her. His arm was around her waist, where _my_ arm belonged. She turned her head into _his_ chest. The rage roared in me over the steps necessary for me to take in her little game, but I knew I couldn't let her see how much it upset me. I couldn't let anyone see. That's not how the game was played.

She left without talking to me, but it didn't matter. It was only a matter of time before we were back in each other's arms. All I had to do was be patient. Waiting. Always waiting.

Three little words echoed in my head, calming me with their rhythm and keeping me sane.

She'll come back. She'll come back. She'll come back.

I knew she'd come back. She had to.

She had to.


End file.
